Teaching Assistant Cover Letter Examples and Templates 2024

You can separate two fighting 8-year-olds with one hand, help with an art project with the other, while closing the door with your foot and still manage to call out to Becky to put her hat on before she disappears into the playground’s shrieky abyss.

For some less fortunate students, you will be invaluable help. For some, you will be the biggest kindness that’s ever come upon them, someone to pay attention and show they care. To make sure those sides of your personality come across, you must write a top-of-the-class teaching assistant cover letter.

According to NAHT, there are only 0.5%, or around 1300 teaching assistants being hired a year. If your job search is starting to feel like detention, this is the most important guide you’ll read.

Use the LiveCareer cover letter builder and your cover letter will write itself. Choose a professional template, answer a few easy questions and the creator will generate a professional cover letter for you with just one click.

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Looking for a different cover letter example? See: 

• Administrative Assistant Cover Letter
• Engineering Cover Letter
• Graduate Cover Letter
• Internship Cover Letter
• Paralegal Cover Letter
• PhD Cover Letter
• Resignation Letter
• Retirement Letter
• Teacher Cover Letter

Couldn't find your job? See a full list of our cover letter examples. 

Teaching Assistant Cover Letter Example

That’s a top-of-the-class teaching assistant cover letter that aces any examination. Here's what to put in your cover letter (following the correct cover letter layout):

1. Use a professional header and a proper salutation

When writing a cover letter (also called a letter of application), follow the standard UK business letter formatting rules. Align your contact details, including email and phone number to the right. Drop a space, and list the name, position and address of the hiring person, aligned to the left. Below, record the date, and the subject of the letter (optional).

Use a formal, surname salutation to address the headteacher. Show that you know who they are, but show respect. Don’t forget to use the appropriate academic title if they have a special one. 

Teaching assistant cover letter—header

You can adjust every cover letter created in the builder to meet the job requirements. Choose the name of your profession and the company to which you’re applying, and the LiveCareer cover letter builder will automatically adapt the content for you. Create a cover letter faster than you ever thought possible and apply for the job in record time.

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2. Hook them into your teaching assistant cover letter

The opening paragraph of your cover letter should be brief and concise. Your years of experience, and most important achievement that sets you apart from the rest. Don’t feel scared to take ownership of some achievement or improvement of your students. You had your share in it.

You're writing a teaching assistant cover letter but have no experience? Start with your enthusiasm for the role but then include a relevant achievement from your studies or any volunteer work you’ve done. 

Start off with your credentials—justify why they should hire you before you ask them to do it. Limit this to 40-80 words.

Teaching assistant cover letter—opening example

3. Explain your achievements in the second paragraph

Once you have their attention, it’s time to hit them with some results. By illustrating your performance and impact with numbers — it may be the number of kids you regularly deal with, their level and difficulties, the improvements you have managed to secure — you’re letting them understand better what you’re about.

Choose 2 to 4 achievements that most accurately reflect your aptitude for the requirements the employer specified in their job ad. This makes up the bulk of your TA cover letter, and should be somewhere between 120 and 200 words.

Teaching assistant cover letter—main paragraph example

You don’t have to create any content yourself. The LiveCareer cover letter generator will automatically suggest the best content for your cover letter with ready-made examples and expert tips.

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4. Conclude your teaching assistant cover letter with a call to action

The last paragraph of your cover letter is either for another A* argument, or for tying up all the other arguments you’ve already made. Either way, make sure to explain how you are going to impact your new school and make it better for the students, sure, but for the headteacher, first of all.

Think of a problem they may have. Think how you can solve it. Explain how your previous experience shows you’re going to be capable of solving it. Limit this to 60-80 words. Below, sign off formally and professionally.

Teaching assistant cover letter—closing example

5. Use a professional teaching assistant cover letter format

Your TA cover letter must exude organisation and professionalism. Following these easy tips makes sure it’s easy on the eyes and conveys all the key info well:

Teaching assistant cover letter length rules

The right cover letter length? Your cover letter should be short and consists of: 

• 1st paragraph—between 60 and 80 words
• 2nd paragraph—between 120 and 200 words
• 3rd paragraph—between 40 and 60 words
• 200-350 words total
• Half a page of A4, up to 1 page of A4

One cover letter for one school

Schools vary wildly, they have different students, different cultures, different problems. Research every school to target your TA cover letter exactly to their requirements. This research will also help you understand whether you truly want to work there.

Choose a font that’s easy on the eyes

Don’t make people squint. Don’t choose funky fonts. Stay between 10 and 12, and go for a classic CV font like Arial, Noto or Garamond.

Match the CV

The look and structure of your cover letter and CV should match—as they form a whole document together. Simple templates work best for cover letters and CVs as they enhance readability.

Use white space

Neat spaces between sections and paragraphs will direct the reader’s eyes. If your text is getting blocky, consider using bullet points for key achievements.

Use even margins

For a neat cover letter layout, set even 1-inch margins on all sides. If your cover letter is shorter than most, you can extend this to 1.5-inch to improve the presentation.

Save as PDF

Unless asked for your teaching assistant CV in a *.doc format, save in the PDF format to protect your cover letter formatting. 

A cover letter alone simply won’t be enough—you need an impactful CV, too. Create your CV in minutes. Just follow our wizard and fill in every CV section with ready-made content. Get started by choosing a professional CV template.

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Does this answer how to write a teaching assistant cover letter? Got any more questions on what to include? Did you find the teaching assistant cover letter example helpful? Let us know in a comment!

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Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.